


Stop Gap

by xDinahQueenx



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2018-01-02 02:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xDinahQueenx/pseuds/xDinahQueenx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Haley would scream it at him sometimes. In this shrill, meaningful voice that would pull Aaron up short, make the words stick in his throat, make the fight go out of him.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stop Gap

It was a good thing that Jack was in school now; Aaron knew he was getting old enough to understand. The sound of glass as it shattered to the floor and raised voices.  
  
And who really wanted to call the cops; Aaron certainly wouldn't. Haley probably wouldn't either. He'd never touched her, never _hurt her_ , but it'd be so easy to make it track that way. Sometimes, Haley's knuckles bruised with how she'd hit the counter by his hip.   
  
And glass would fly and tiny cuts on faces and hands. One time she'd been so angry they'd broken a glass topped table. It was lucky no one had gotten seriously hurt.   
  
Aaron was not without his faults; he yelled over her. Sometimes, he'd grab her wrists too hard to stop her from hurting herself and he'd leave purple-dark bruises around her slim wrists. Haley would gloat and call him names. Aaron would talk over her and push her back away from him.   
  
_"I wish I'd never met you,"_ Haley would scream it at him sometimes. In this shrill, meaningful voice that would pull Aaron up short, make the words stick in his throat, make the fight go out of him. Haley's breathing would be shallow, high color splashed on her cheeks, chest heaving.   
  
He would be struck with how beautiful she was and he'd trip over himself to make amends.   
  
_"I love you_ ," He would say.   
  
She'd make a noise, not come out and say he loved his job more, but he'd deny it anyways. And promise himself that he'd do better, next time. But he would get caught up and he'd fail again.   
  
It'd lead them to this.   
  
Sometimes, he was too angry to see straight, red clouding at the edges of his visions.   
  
Haley would say she wish she'd never met him; Aaron would tell her he wished he'd never seen her face.   
  
Haley would storm out and Aaron would console himself with a bottle of whiskey.  
  
They'd come back the next day and there would be no apologies, just driftwood bridges over still stormy waters, and trepiditious crossing without much caution. It wasn't patching things up; it was a stop gap. A mutual understanding.   
  
_"I'm only staying with you because of Jack_ ," Aaron would tell her, when he was feeling particularly vicious in the aftermath of a fight. When they were both feeling low.   
  
She took a call from someone who wouldn't talk when he answered their house phone.   
  
She'd rubbed her hands along his shoulders and told him, if he was _home_ , then it was a no-brainer. Derek called. Aaron came.  
  
Really--  
  
It wasn't a surprise when she was gone.   
  
It hurt, deep.  
  
Aaron wished he'd never had her at all. 


End file.
